After latest setback, handwriting is on the wall for lackluster Bruins

Eighteen games remain in the regular season after Tuesday’s 4-2 loss to the Philadelphia Flyers, the latest in a too-long series of reversals. The Boston Bruins continue to look like they need some sort of shakeup, and soon.

Maybe they’ll have made a trade by today’s 3 p.m. deadline. Maybe not. However that works out, the Boston Bruins continue to look like they need some sort of shakeup, and soon.

Eighteen games remain in the regular season after Tuesday’s 4-2 loss to the Philadelphia Flyers, the latest in a too-long series of reversals.

Between Jan. 21 and Feb. 5, Boston won six of seven. From there through Feb. 22, the Bruins lost six of seven. Last week’s consecutive lopsided victories over Florida (6-1) and Anaheim (6-0) brought hope that the B’s had found their way again, and Saturday’s 4-3, overtime loss to a very good Washington team didn’t seem so bad ...

But now, this.

“Obviously, we have to confront that the last little bit, there has been a dip in performance,” said veteran defenseman Andrew Ference. “Whether you get points or not, you have to be honest with yourself, and know if you’re playing well, if you’re having a good game ... and we haven’t.”

The Flyers, fourth in the Eastern Conference, are 15 points behind the first-place Bruins, but they play a fast-paced, physical game, and ever since Philadelphia defenseman Randy Jones (booed each time he touched the puck Tuesday night) nearly ended Patrice Bergeron’s career with a blind-side check in October 2007, Boston has played games against Philadelphia as if they meant something extra. The B’s won the last three meetings last season, and went 1-0-1 to start this year’s series.

Tuesday night, though, Boston couldn’t even maintain average energy, emotion or effort after Bergeron opened the scoring with a power-play goal 14:25 into the first period.

The Bruins took only five second-period shots, gave the lead away (literally – Marc Savard’s cross-ice pass was stolen by Scottie Upshall, who walked in for a nearly uncontested goal against Manny Fernandez), then allowed two quick goals at the start of the third period. Chuck Kobasew’s offensive-zone penalty for holding the stick let Simon Gagne (two goals, one assist) make it 4-1 on a late power play, but Boston had long since stopped threatening the Flyers’ two-goal lead.

“We just kept turning pucks over,” said coach Claude Julien. “They won every battle. We had two guys on their one, and they still came out with the puck.”

The coach, though disappointed and perhaps a bit puzzled, seemed willing to write Tuesday off as a bad night in a long season – provided Thursday’s performance against Phoenix is much, much better.

The players are a little more alarmed.

“We’re a team that’s thrived on being a hard-working, character team,” said veteran defenseman Aaron Ward, “and we’re lacking that ... It’s easy to lose it, and hard to turn it back on.”

Page 2 of 2 - It’s harder now than it might have been earlier in the season.

“At this time of year, you’re playing against the other teams’ best,” Ference said. “If you don’t have your best out there, you’re going to get embarrassed. You’re going to have bad games.”

The Bruins can’t afford a flat, indifferent performance against Phoenix. Their Eastern Conference lead over No. 2 New Jersey has shrunk to six points, and their reputation is taking a hit where it hurts most – inside their own dressing room.

“If you’re somebody from the outside watching our team right now, I don’t see a lot of character you can really identify with,” said Ference. “And that’s been a huge part of our success.

“We have a good foundation and system, but if you’re lacking that extra punch of character and emotion – if that’s not there – you’re not getting anywhere.”